Sunday, November 1, 2015

The Devil's Playground by Eliza Freed

Former U.S. Attorney, Meredith
Walsh, took some time off to raise her children. But the time took away
everything she once trusted about herself. She’s lost within the mundane confines of her children's schedules of lacrosse,
soccer, Cub Scouts, and math facts. Desperate for a sliver of her former
passion, and isolated in the small town her corporate husband relocated her to,
she counsels herself on risking her family for the rush of a fling.

But Vincent Pratt, the local
chief of police, weakens Meredith’s abhorrence of affairs and her dedication to
her family. With him, she finds a new version of herself, one capable of
contributing in her new world, and thriving in her lonely home. In spite of the
fact, she’s not the kind of woman who has an affair.

For More Information

He kissed me,
right there in the middle of the room, until a heat sank down my spine,
anchoring me to the ground in front of him, assuring me against every
reasonable argument that this was going to be okay.

The rain was a mix
of a washed-out deluge hitting the walls of the cabin and a metallic pinging as
it assaulted tiny pieces of the flashings and the roof. It was a constant hum
around us, and it blocked every thought but the ones craving Vince’s body. I
pulled him toward me, wanting him inside of me. I was selfish and unapologetic,
and he responded to every need I had without me voicing a word.

I reached my hand
down between us. I felt him hard behind the zipper of his jeans, and I stroked
him through the fabric. I inhaled deeply at the size of him and the
anticipation spread through me, a heavy demand that could only be satisfied by
him. I unzipped his jeans, and he let go of me to lower them to the floor. For
a split second I clung to the idea this was going to be terrible, average at
best. This was a huge mistake, and my punishment would be a below-par sexual
experience to relive in my mind in the coming weeks and solidify the universe’s
thoughts on the righteousness of an affair.

Vince took the hem
of my dress in his hands. He watched me as I raised my hands high in the air
above us. He lifted the dress up and off of me, leaving me naked in front of
him. I burned from the urge for him. I could feel it just under my skin, a heat
spreading through me, anticipating his hands on me.

I tilted my head
to the sound of the rain. It thrust us forward, protected us from reality. It
was a cushion from the pain we would inflict on each other, and it
succeeded.When I turned back to Vince,
his eyes were wandering over every inch of me, and I braced myself for his
proclamation of my beauty. The one they said to everyone. But it never
came.

I realized Vince
was waiting for me to give myself to him. He was waiting for my consent. He
wouldn’t take this from me. He wouldn’t seduce me any more than he would
purposely hurt me. He was a gentleman. But there was nothing he could do or say
in this dimly-lit cabin that would turn me away from him. I needed him to
breathe. I needed him to live. I just hadn’t known it until that moment in
front of him, with my dress still hanging from his hand at his side.